Strongest War Emperor

The Ghost King may have been powerful, but he was currently weak and helpless. Having just offered up his Soul Blood, he was already terrified and on edge.

Unsure of the exact relationship between Nalan Ziyun and Shen Lang, he endured her furious lashing without even trying to dodge.

The surrounding Ghosts were left dumbfounded.

Only a few breaths had passed between the Ghost King entering Shen Lang’s body and reappearing. ’How did our mighty Lord Ghost King, who struck fear into the hearts of all, turn into a little lamb? He’s not even dodging or fighting back while being beaten like this?’

’What the hell? We just can’t figure this out...’

"WAAAAH... Master, save me!"

The great Ghost King of the Dark Forest was beaten so badly he was rolling on the ground, continuously begging for mercy. Where was his previous arrogance? What happened to the dignity of a king?

In the end, the Ghost King completely abandoned his royal dignity. He screamed and begged, bowing and scraping all the while.

He was one step away from running over and hugging Nalan Ziyun’s leg.

Then again, if he had actually dared to hug her leg, it probably would have been even worse for him.

Nalan Ziyun had thought something terrible had happened to Shen Lang, which had frightened her to the point of Soul Scattering. Her heart was still pounding wildly. Since it was all the Ghost King’s fault, she, in her fury, focused all her strength into the Silver Flood Dragon Chain and lashed out again and again.

As she whipped him, she cursed, "That’ll teach you to have designs on me! That’ll teach you to ambush me! That’ll teach you to cackle like that, and to try Possession... Wait, where was I? Forget it, I’ll start over... That’ll teach you to have designs on me..."

’This is so unfair...’

’Damn it, I only had designs on the Master, I wanted to Possess *him*. When the hell did I ever have designs on *you*?’

’It’s not like I’m into you. Do you really have to torment me like this?’

The four Rakshasa Ghosts and a group of lesser ghosts watched from a distance, completely dumbfounded. It felt like they were in a dream; it took them a long while to process what was happening.

CLANG!

Shen Lang reached out with his right hand and grabbed Nalan Ziyun’s Silver Flood Dragon Chain. "Alright, that’s enough. You’ve let off some steam. If you keep hitting him, you’ll really kill him."

"Kill him? My ass! He’s already dead! Isn’t he a Ghost?" Nalan Ziyun retorted viciously.

"..." Shen Lang smacked his lips. After a moment, he turned, beckoned to the four distant Rakshasa Ghosts, and said, "Over here, over here. I have some business with you."

The four Rakshasa Ghosts looked at one another, then shook their heads vigorously in unison.

’Are you kidding? You think we’ll just go over because you said so?’

’We’re big shots... no, we’re big-shot Ghosts!’

’Besides, if even the great Lord Ghost King is getting abused like this, calling us over probably means nothing good for us either!’

"You bastards, didn’t you hear the Master calling you! Get your asses over here right now, or I’ll skin you alive!"

The Ghost King bellowed, seizing the opportunity to suck up. Sucking up was something he’d learned how to do back when he was just a lesser ghost.

"Hm?"

Nalan Ziyun’s cold glare made the Ghost King jump.

A shiver ran down the Ghost King’s spine. He shrank back and hid behind Shen Lang.

Regardless, even though the Ghost King’s aura was now incredibly faint—down to the Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage—his kingly Momentum was still present. Thus, the Rakshasa Ghosts reluctantly and slowly shuffled over.

"Kid! Let our Lord Ghost King go, or I’ll make you regret it!"

While still some distance away, the most reckless of the Rakshasa Ghosts roared menacingly.

POW!

A smarter Rakshasa Ghost next to him sent him flying with a slap. "Idiot! How dare you speak to this lord like that? Do you have a death wish?"

’Anyone with half a brain could see it! The Ghost King has been calling him ’Master’ ever since he came out. He doesn’t talk back when scolded or fight back when hit. He’s clearly been through the wringer and has been subdued!’

’Even the Ghost King has been subdued, and we’re trapped in this Barrier. This blockhead is still running his mouth? Is he trying to get himself killed?’

’I don’t care if you die, but don’t drag the rest of us down with you!’

The Rakshasa Ghost who had been slapped away was stunned for a good while. ’Damn it, that bastard actually called the kid ’lord’!’

’You were the one chasing him the hardest earlier, you bastard!’

Shen Lang watched this little interlude without a word. Only when the Rakshasa Ghosts had come before him did he smile amicably and say, "Offer up your Soul Blood and submit to me. What do you say?"

The four Rakshasa Ghosts were stunned. Nalan Ziyun was stunned, too.

Asking a person or a Ghost to offer up their Soul Blood was a life-or-death proposition, okay?

Normally, a demand like that would lead to a fight to the death.

Yet this kid said it so casually!

It was as if he were asking for a strand of hair, not their Soul Blood...

SCRAPE... SCRAPE...

The four Rakshasa Ghosts subconsciously began to shuffle backward, their gazes fixed on Shen Lang with unspeakable terror.

In that moment, Shen Lang was not a human youth in their eyes, but a Demon!

Judging by the Ghost King’s behavior, he had likely already offered his Soul Blood and been completely subjugated!

"That’s right, the Ghost King has already been subdued by me." Shen Lang chuckled, as if he could read their minds. "Don’t panic. Just listen to what I have to say. After you’ve heard me out, you can decide for yourselves whether you’re willing or not."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and four Bone Demons, now completely devoid of any aura, appeared and fell to the ground.

He even took out the severed hand he had cut off one of them and placed it on the ground.

"I’m not here on a sightseeing trip, and time is tight, so I’ll cut the chatter. I’ll just make a few points," Shen Lang said calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"First, you’ve seen this Barrier. You can’t possibly break it with your own strength. The Ghost King has already submitted to me, so killing you wouldn’t take much effort. Besides, no matter how strong you are, are you stronger than these four Bone Demons?"

"Second, if you are willing to offer your Soul Blood, these four Bone Demons can become your new bodies. I will take you to the vibrant world outside to see all the splendors of the Mortal World. That’s a lot better than being cooped up here, playing king of the mountain."

"Third, I am both an Artifact Refiner and an Alchemist. As long as you follow me, I will provide you with all kinds of resources for your Cultivation. You’ll want for nothing. In the future, when my own Cultivation becomes more powerful and I obtain materials like Soul-Guiding Wood, I can even help you reconstruct physical bodies and reach the Peak of this world!"

At this, Shen Lang flicked his fingers. With a flash of light, countless Spirit Stones immediately appeared, piling up on the ground.

These were all the Spirit Stones he had obtained from auctioning off the Giant Potion. The moment they appeared, the surrounding Spiritual Qi surged wildly. The sight of the glittering Spirit Stones instantly blinded the Rakshasa Ghosts’ greedy eyes...

It wasn’t just the four Rakshasa Ghosts; the Ghost King and the crowd of lesser ghosts in the distance also immediately fixed their gazes on the Spirit Stones, completely motionless.

The land in the Dark Forest was barren, with almost no mineral veins to be found. The Ghosts in the forest relied entirely on the lingering Dark Energy of this place to grow stronger.

This Dark Energy, which included Corpse Qi and Death Qi, mostly originated from the bodies of various Martial Artists buried here in ancient times. It was nowhere near enough.

Otherwise, how could the Ghost King have spent over five hundred years here and only reached such a meager level of Cultivation?

Spirit Stones contained extremely pure Spiritual Qi, which could be absorbed and converted into personal Energy by any supernatural being, whether they were Ghosts, Demons, or otherwise.

These creatures had barely ever left the Dark Forest. When had they ever seen so many pure Spirit Stones?

At the sight, the Ghost Fire in their eyes immediately began to burn fiercely.

"Such... such pure Spiritual Qi! This isn’t an Illusion Technique! This really isn’t an Illusion Technique!"

"Oh my god! With so many Spirit Stones, if I got to use them, wouldn’t I be set for the next decade or so?"

"This is unbelievable. None of the Martial Artists who entered here and were killed by us ever had this many Spirit Stones. This is just insane..."

Watching the expressions on the Rakshasa Ghosts’ faces, Shen Lang’s lips curled into a slight smile. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill refined from a Nine Immortals Lingzhi.

The moment the Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill appeared, a wave of Immortal Spirit Qi spread out from Shen Lang. When the scent reached the noses of the Rakshasa Ghosts, it instantly gave them a feeling of blissful ecstasy.

"This is called a Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but you must have heard of the Nine Immortals Lingzhi. This Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill was refined from an eight-hundred-year-old Nine Immortals Lingzhi, along with many other precious materials," Shen Lang said coolly. "Don’t look at me like that. This item is extremely precious; you are not yet qualified to have it. I’m just showing it to you..."

"..." The Rakshasa Ghosts looked at each other, speechless.

’This guy is so blunt. Aren’t you trying to tempt us? Don’t you want us to submit to you? How can you say you’re only letting us look?’

Shen Lang snorted. "Of course I’m just showing you. But after seeing it, you should understand something. I possess things that can cause your Soul to Scatter in an instant, but I also have things that can make your Cultivation advance by leaps and bounds. Follow me, perform well, and you’ll get your share of it all! My meaning is that simple."

At this point, Shen Lang suddenly turned his head to Nalan Ziyun and said, "Go inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron for a bit. I have something I need to do."

Nalan Ziyun smiled charmingly. "Give me that Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill, and I’ll go in. Otherwise..."

Her expression changed as she said viciously, "Otherwise, why should I listen to you?"

"You change your tune so quickly..."

Shen Lang hurriedly put the Profound Celestial Clear Spirit Pill away. Are you kidding? He only had eight of these things in total; he couldn’t just hand them out.

"What did you say!"

"I said you’re really cute..." Shen Lang was genuinely afraid of bickering with Nalan Ziyun. Once she started, she wouldn’t stop. They had just been discussing serious business, and she had completely sidetracked him.

Seeing Nalan Ziyun shoot him a glare before walking to the side and turning her back, Shen Lang sighed and said, "It seems you still can’t make up your minds. Very well. I’ll do one more thing. If you’re still not willing after you see this, then there’s nothing more I can do."

With a wave of his hand, Shen Lang collected all the Spirit Stones, leaving only thirty on the ground.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

SWISH! SWISH!

Shen Lang flicked his fingers several times, and the Spirit Stones on the ground immediately began to move on their own, following a path of Profound Mysteries.

A moment later, the thirty Spirit Stones came to a stop, spread out several dozen feet away. They formed a strange pattern, enclosing Shen Lang and the Rakshasa Ghosts.

THUD!

Shen Lang dropped the final Spirit Stone he was holding at his feet, embedding it in a crack in the earth.

Instantly, their surroundings changed dramatically. The four Rakshasa Ghosts and the Ghost King found themselves in a vast, white space where they couldn’t tell east from west.

"You... what are you trying to do?" one of the Rakshasa Ghosts asked in alarm.

The Ghost King roared in anger, "You idiot! Can’t you see how incredibly dense the Spiritual Qi is in here? Don’t you recognize a Spirit Gathering Array? So ignorant! By the way, Master, what are you planning to do with this Spirit Gathering Array you’ve set up?"

"What am I doing? Helping you break through to the Xuanwu Realm, of course," Shen Lang said coolly, raising an eyebrow.

"What!"

The Ghost King and the four Rakshasa Ghosts thought they had misheard.